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A Solution to Building Desktop Application Using HTML5 and Node.js

heX is a solution that provides a new way to build cross-platform desktop application using web technology. heX is based on CEF and integrates Chromium and Node.js. Modules or third-party extensions of Node.js can be "required" from the web page, while the DOM element of HTML can also be visited from Node.js' modules. In addition, heX can be embedded as a web container module into desktop projects, allowing desktop applications to take advantage of HTML5 features.

• Homepage: http://hex.youdao.com
• Mailing list: https://groups.google.com/group/youdao_hex
• Documentation: http://hex.youdao.com/documentation
• Wiki: https://github.com/netease-youdao/hex/wiki
• Issues: https://github.com/netease-youdao/hex/issues

Features

Powerful but Easy to Use

• Chromium's new web features at your fingertips
• Multiple/Single process architecture
• Works with major web developer tools

Low Learning Cost

• Supporting JavaScript, CSS, HTML
• Main API consistent with those of Chromium and Node.js
• Easy integration into your applications by simply configuring the manifest

Extensible

• Supporting any third-party JavaScript and C++ extension of Node.js
• A platform to share the special heX extensions

Why should I use heX?

HTML5 standard was designated as a Candidate Recommendation in December 2012. Chromium as a rapid development of open source project has good support for HTML5 for a long time. On the other hand, Node.js, which uses an event-driven, high throughput non-blocking I/O model, provides a variety of native operating APIs and enables a rich set of functionalities for JavaScript. heX integrates the two and retains advantages of both components. It enables one to develop desktop applications via pure web front-end technology.

heX has the following advantages:

• Easy to use, web developer can use their favorite technology (browser and Node.js APIs), the learning cost is quite low.
• Designing GUI is as efficient as we debug a web page in the Chrome.
• Based on Node.js convenient extension mechanism, the functionalities can be easily extended.

How to develop with heX?

Developing a desktop application with heX is very simple. The following Wiki references allow you to get started quickly. [ links are coming soon. ]

• Quick Start Guide
• heX Manifest Instructions
• heX Native API Instructions
• FAQ

A piece of sample code looks like this:

var fs = require('fs');
var path = require('path');
var directory = $('#directory');
var fileList = $('#filelist');
directory.value = process.cwd();
if (!fs.existsSync(dir)) {
  ...
} else {
  fs.readdir(dir, function(err, list) {
    ...
  }
}

Binary Distributions

There are 6 kinds of binary distributions.

• [heX end user distribution] (http://codown.youdao.com/hex/hex_1453_end_user_windows.zip)
• [heX end user distribution without Node.js] (http://codown.youdao.com/hex/hex_1453_end_user_no_node_windows.zip)
• [heX web develop distribution] (http://codown.youdao.com/hex/hex_1453_web_develop_windows.zip)
• [heX web develop distribution without Node.js] (http://codown.youdao.com/hex/hex_1453_web_develop_no_node_windows.zip)
• [heX module distribution] (http://codown.youdao.com/hex/hex_module_1453_windows.zip)
• [heX module PDB] (http://codown.youdao.com/hex/hex_module_1453_windows_symbols.zip)
• [heX module distribution without Node.js] (http://codown.youdao.com/hex/hex_module_1453_no_node_windows.zip)
• [heX module PDB without Node.js] (http://codown.youdao.com/hex/hex_module_1453_no_node_windows_symbols.zip)

The sources are coming soon!!!

Authors

License

New BSD License

Copyright (c) 2012-2013 NetEase Youdao Inc. and other heX contributors. Portions Copyright (c) 2008-2013 Marshall A.Greenblatt, 2006-2009 Google Inc., and Joyent, Inc. All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

• Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
• Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
• Neither the name of Google Inc. nor the name Chromium Embedded Framework nor the name of Joyent, Inc. nor the name of NetEase Youdao Inc. nor the name heX nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE)